The Toledo Museum of Art Great Performances in the Great Gallery Series will include a concert featuring a University of Toledo faculty member and an internationally acclaimed baritone this weekend.

Boyd

Dr. Michael Boyd, UT professor of music, and Ryan De Ryke will perform a free, public program of art song Sunday, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m.

Highlights will include Schumann’s “Dichterliebe” and a cycle of songs by The Smiths arranged by De Ryke.

Boyd received his undergraduate degree from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music. Over the years, the pianist has given solo recitals around the globe.

De Ryke

De Ryke has studied at the Peabody Conservatory, the Royal Academy of Music and the National Conservatory of Luxembourg. Aside from his recital career, De Ryke also is a regularly traveling soloist in various oratorios. He has sung numerous operatic roles and has worked with several groups, including the Haymarket Opera, El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber of Chicago.

The University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film will present its production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist play, “No Exit,” this month.

Performances will take place Friday through Sunday, Feb. 19-21 and Feb. 26-28. Curtain time will be 7:30 p.m., except for Sunday shows, which will be at 2 p.m.

Andrés Medina, a theatre student shown here in a scene from the 2015 UT production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” is directing “No Exit.”

Andrés Medina, a UT senior majoring in theatre, will direct the play.

“No Exit” takes place in hell, where three souls are mysteriously placed in the same room. There, they are trapped together for eternity and begin to realize the binding force keeping them in the room is one from within.

During the course of the play, the characters reflect on their past and share all of the unforgivable things they have done throughout their lives. The classic theme, “Hell is other people,” is presented as the story unfolds.

Medina said he is excited to explore the play’s theme of life after death and intrigued by Sartre’s philosophy.

“Everybody wonders about death and the meaning of life. I was also interested in Sartre’s philosophy that human beings supply meaning to the big questions of life and death out of their own experience of each,” he said.

The set will be minimalist, according to Medina. “Especially with this kind of play, I prefer to rely on movement, on the actors and their characters, to captivate the audience and hold their interest.”

While “No Exit” is Medina’s directorial debut, he assisted directing the UT productions of “Cabaret” and “The Adding Machine.” “The Adding Machine” was invited to be performed at the 2015 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 2. He also was the assistant stage manager for UT’s production of “Orpheus.”

Professionally, Medina served as the stage manager for the Glacity Theatre Collective’s production of “House of Vinyl.”

On stage, Medina has played roles in various UT plays, including “Twelfth Night,” “Miss Julie,” “Cabaret,” “Out to Lunch,” “Ghost Light,” “Three Sisters,” “Metamorphoses” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” His professional acting credits include a role in Glacity Theatre Collective’s “Nightmares Come in Threes.”

The cast for “No Exit” features Davion T. Brown, a senior majoring in theatre and communication, as Garcin; Olivia M. Pierce, a junior majoring in theatre and minoring in art, as Inez; Christina M. Pinciotti, a junior majoring in theatre and minoring in communication, as Estelle; and Reshi Phillips, a sophomore majoring in theatre and film, as the valet.

Tickets are $8 for students and children; $10 for seniors 60 and older, for military members, and for UT faculty, staff and alumni; and $15 for the general public. To purchase tickets or for more information on this event, visit utoledo.tix.com or call 419.530.ARTS (2787).

If we’ve learned anything from the blackout at Super Bowl XLVII, it’s that lighting has a critical role in live entertainment.

Going into the NBA All-Star Game, a University of Toledo faculty member has accepted the responsibility as part of the team in charge of lighting the stage for halftime performer Sting, the former frontman of The Police, the pre-game performance by Cirque du Soleil, and other All-Star Game events.

Sakowski

Stephen Sakowski, UT assistant professor of lighting and sound design in the Department of Theatre and Film, will work closely with Otis Howard, an Emmy Award-winning lighting designer who runs Otis Howard Design Inc., a company that has lit the stage for TV shows on BET, VH1, MTV, HSN and more. Howard has been in charge of lighting the NBA All-Star events for the last five years.

Sakowski first began working alongside Howard during an internship in college.

“I really like working with Otis,” Sakowski said. “He’s been a mentor of mine in the industry since I met him.”

After graduating from college at Otterbein University, Sakowski freelanced in New York City for several years before getting his master’s degree from the University of California at San Diego. He joined UT’s faculty last year.

“Teaching lighting design, there’s theories and approaches, but so much of this job is real-world experience and application,” Sakowski said.

He added that doing these projects provides a sense of accreditation for his students, because they can see the experience he has in the field and the work he does. He also is exposed to some of the best technologies and techniques in the industry, and he then can teach these to his students.

Sakowski routinely does production coordinating remotely for Otis Howard Design by working on technical drawings and lighting plots. But for this large national event, he will travel to Toronto to ensure it goes off without a hitch.

“It’s nice to be a part of something on this scale because it’s reaffirming that I’ve made good choices along the way,” Sakowski said.

NBA All-Star events will take place from Thursday, Feb. 11, through Sunday, Feb. 14. The NBA All-Star game tips off at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, at Air Canada Centre. It will be televised on TNT.

Crystal Hand, left, and Alyx Smith, both students in the Art Museum Practices class, and Dr. Thor Mednick, assistant professor of art history, checked out the Toledo Museum of Art Hitchcock Gallery.

Students were responsible for creating the themes for the exhibit and choosing relevant work to display from the museum’s permanent collection of prints, in collaboration with staff members from the museum. They then wrote labels for the works, and the copy was reviewed by the museum’s managing editor. Finally, they planned the sequence of the pieces in the gallery.

“I think we did really well,” said Alyx Smith, a fourth-year art history student in the class. “There’s a lot of work in a small space, but it doesn’t look too busy. I wouldn’t change anything. I really like how it looks.”

Working with the Art Museum Practices class was a New Media Design Practices course, which was responsible for creating exhibition graphics for print and web interfaces.

“The City” was curated by students in the UT Art Museum Practices class, with assistance from their peers in a New Media Design Practices course.

“I really liked being able to work directly with the art museum,” said Emily Rose, a fourth-year new media design student. “I was able to take pictures of the installation of the show, which was really neat because usually you never get to see that process.”

The exhibition implementation course is the third in a series of four classes that comprise the art museum practices concentration, a self-selected area of study for students who want a career in an art museum. Throughout the series, students have the opportunity to meet museum professionals and learn the various responsibilities of a museum worker.

“Rather than a primarily theoretical or speculative approach, we attempt to prepare the students for the actual working life of a museum professional,” said Dr. Thor Mednick, assistant professor of art history, who taught the Art Museum Practices course.

Rose said her experience working on the exhibition will help her grow her wedding photography business: “It also looks good on a resumé saying that you were able to work with a major art museum.”

“The whole reason I picked this University is because of this concentration,” Smith said. “I want to go into exhibition design, so this was perfect. Having the opportunity to design an exhibition and do a whole show is something not a lot of people have the chance to do, especially as an undergraduate.”

The free, public exhibition is on display in the Toledo Museum of Art Hitchcock Gallery through Sunday, Feb. 14.

In association with the exhibit, the films “Chinatown” and “Blade Runner” will be featured in the Toledo Museum of Art Little Theater in January. Students will introduce the films and discuss their relationship to the city theme.

Laura Miller shared her story about how picking up a paintbrush and putting bold, eye-catching colors on canvas helped her cope with cancer in U.S. News & World Report in 2014.

The former oncology nurse will visit The University of Toledo to talk about “Art and Creative Wellness” at the opening of the 2016 Health Science Campus Artist Showcase Friday, Jan. 29.

Laura Miller and her painting, “Healing Meadow,” acrylic

Her talk will be at 4 p.m. in the Mulford Library iCare Room 028/029. A reception with the artists will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on the fourth floor of the library, where more than 60 pieces are on display.

“I started painting a few months after my diagnosis,” Miller said. “I found that while painting, I lose myself to the process and moment, giving me a mental break not otherwise possible. It gave me a good distraction during a difficult time. I like to say I ‘self-medicated’ with art.”

That self-medication with art helps one’s health, too.

“Research now shows that creativity can ease pain, decrease blood pressure, help overall mental health, among other benefits,” Miller said. “The creative process helps patients heal by giving them a break from their worries, even if for a brief time, relax and express themselves.

“My creative outlet was painting, but there are many other creative outlets such as visual arts, music, writing, cooking and gardening, to name a few.”

“Marley Turner,” oil, by Jennifer Diaz Warner Giovannucci, technician in the Department of Neurosciences, is included in the 2016 Health Science Campus Artist Showcase.

The Monclova, Ohio, resident will discuss the importance of scheduling time to use your imagination.

“We need to think about creative wellness just as we think about diet and exercise,” Miller said. “We all know that it’s important to eat right and be active. So if we know creativity is good for us, we should try to include that as part of our overall wellness plan, too.”

A total of 26 artists will share their inspiring talents in the 2016 Health Science Campus Artist Showcase. Works in several 2- and 3-dimensional media by students, faculty and staff affiliated with the health sciences on Health Science and Main campuses will be on display during the 11th annual event.

“The artist showcase is very popular with our students, faculty and staff,” Jodi Jameson, instructor in the College of Nursing, librarian in Mulford Library, and member of the artist showcase committee, said. “It’s always fun to see the creative side of those that you work or study with on a daily basis.”

The free, public exhibition will be on display through Friday, March 18.

“Dewdrop Flower Closeup,” photography, by Dr. Rick Francis, director of research and sponsored programs, is among 60 pieces on display in this year’s Health Science Campus Artist Showcase on the fourth floor of Mulford Library.

Students in the Arts Diplomacy class at The University of Toledo will work with members of the community to create a public mural under the direction of artist David Loewenstein.

The mural will be placed at the entrance to the Frederick Douglass Community Association’s James B. Simmons Jr. Neighborhood Facilities Building, located at 1001 Indiana Ave. in Toledo.

the Frederick Douglass Community Association’s James B. Simmons Jr. Neighborhood Facilities Building

Painting is scheduled to take place from Friday to Tuesday, Oct. 2-6, during daylight hours, weather permitting. The public is invited to watch and even pick up a paintbrush and help.

The subject of the mural will be determined through a collaborative process involving UT students and Frederick Douglass Community Association members and stakeholders.

The free, public panel discussion will take place Monday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 p.m. in the UT Center for the Visual Arts Haigh Auditorium on UT’s Toledo Museum of Art Campus.

UT Assistant Professor of Art History Thor J. Mednick, who teaches the Arts Diplomacy course, will moderate the panel discussion featuring Loewenstein, community artist and founder of the Mid-America Mural Project; Dr. Brian Kennedy, director of the Toledo Museum of Art and director and eminent professor at the University; and Rachel Richardson, director and mural coordinator for Art Corner Toledo.

This mural by David Loewenstein is in Lawrence, Kan.

The panel will discuss the arts as a mode of economic, political and cultural intervention in the Toledo community. The underlying question to be discussed is what form such intervention could take and how it could be marshaled to create change, development and empowerment in and for the community.

Loewenstein is a muralist, writer and printmaker based in Lawrence, Kan. In addition to his more than 20 public works in Kansas, examples of his dynamic and richly colored community-based murals can be found across the United States in Chicago, New Orleans and New York City, as well as in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arizona, Arkansas, Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, and Iowa, as well as in Northern Ireland and South Korea. Loewenstein’s prints, which focus on current social and political issues, are exhibited nationally and are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Yale University, and the Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles. See more about him here.

The project is funded by the UT offices of Debra Davis, dean of the College of Communication and the Arts, and Interim Provost John Barrett.

In two intriguing works, artist Diane Ramos grapples with the feelings of loss and disconnection she experienced when her grandmother developed dementia.

“Atrophy” by Diane Ramos

Ramos shares how difficult it was to “process the loss of my grandmother while she was still physically present.”

She added, “This experience created an internally conflicting situation in which I felt both desperate to maintain the connection I had with my grandmother, but also a self-preserving need to detach myself from the circumstances.”

Her works, which are on display in the first-floor corridor of the Center for the Visual Arts on UT’s Toledo Museum of Art Campus, make that dichotomy visually evident.

Ramos is a visiting guest artist of the Concepts in Studio, Art and Theory course taught by Brian Carpenter, lecturer of art and gallery director.

Her work will be on display through fall semester.

The Center for the Visual Arts is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The exhibition titled “Ready to Hand/Present at Hand” was inspired by German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s description of various attitudes toward things and objects that exist in the world: “The nearest kind of association is not mere perceptual cognition, but, rather, a handling, using, and taking care of things which has its own kind of knowledge.”

Each artist included in this exhibition has developed a creative practice that privileges handmade, hand-constructed works and design over production by technology, according to Brian Carpenter, lecturer of art and gallery director.

Workers in the studio of artist Christopher Schanck used unconventional materials in his creations.

By using unconventional materials in construction, the resulting artworks speak to knowledge of a specific material’s unique properties as well as to the idea of self and the maker’s intimate interaction with the creation of an object, he said.

The free, public exhibit can be seen through through Saturday, Oct. 3, in the Center for the Visual Arts Main Gallery on UT’s Toledo Museum of Art Campus.

Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. when the Center for the Visual Arts will be a stop on the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo 3rd Thursday Gallery Loop. For more information on the gallery loop, go to http://utole.do/loop.

A surgical illustration on The University of Toledo Health Science Campus is gaining some street cred.

The surgical wall project by UT medical illustrators Roy Schneider, Tonya Floyd-Bradstock and Joshua Klein is being featured on Street Anatomy, which is a website dedicated to showcasing how anatomy is visualized in art, design and pop culture.

The image, which is titled “Wall Repair” and is in Center for Creative Instruction Room 2130, has since been shared around the world on Facebook and Twitter with requests coming in for the UT medical illustrators to replicate the illustration for doctors’ offices.

“We are really honored that our illustration is being seen by thousands because it is truly innovative and unique,” Schneider said. “Our idea was to give an office wall ‘some medical treatment’ by peeling back the wall and exposing the health problems underneath. The problems represented inside of the wall are a play of symbolic metaphors representing diseases or pathologies that may require surgical intervention and repair. The mouse was just an added bit of fun.”

The mural of a surgical wall repair stands 6 feet by 8 feet tall and was created in Trompe l’oeil technique, which is an art style that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions, Schneider said.

The illustration was installed two years ago. In 2014, it won a first-place award from the Association of Medical Illustrators. The UT piece is in the running for the World Illustration Awards 2015.

The founder of Street Anatomy wrote a short story about UT’s illustration.

“I’ve always had a vision of surgical illustration as street art. Slicing open a wall and retracting the brick back to reveal anatomy underneath would be so striking (or horrifying) to someone walking down the street,” Vanessa Ruiz wrote. “This surgical wall project … comes close to that vision.”